Here's the second chapter of the lost ones tale. Hopefully you enjoy the ongoing story. Thank you to everyone who favourited, I didn't expect a following on the first chapter.

To Silentforest21: It never made sense to add in a self-Insert that instantly got neck-deep into the plot. If I was taken, during my sleep, dumped in the body of a child in a world of chaos and misery then I would freak out. I would say no way in hell do I want to be here f**k this! I would try and drag my heels in at every possible moment until I was forced to move by an outside force. Poor Shanks, in this chapter he gets dunked into her problems head first hahaha (I'm cruel).

I DO NOT OWN ONE PIECE, and I never will

Writing is in italics

Techniques and devil fruits are in underline

Chapter 2 start:

Monkey D Lucy was an anomaly In Shanks opinion, a child that acted so adult-like. Though looking back over his life there were enough of those that it wasn't that farfetched in his opinion. Especially in the war zones, they had eyes full of despair. But a child in a peaceful village in the middle of the blues, in a small peaceful village no less, why had she got the blues.

A small chuckle passed his lips at his own pun, it was very punny. He did have an amusing sense of humour if he touted his own horn.

With his spirits lifted from his mental joke, he meandered down the small coastal path situated just outside of village he had called residence for the last four months. The wind breezed softly from the coast, the scent of the sea making his shoulders relax more than a spar ever would. There was no better place than near the sea. Nowhere had his adventures taken him otherwise that even compared. Just the sight, the sound, the smell took him back to the some of the best memories of his life.

On and on the path went. Past coves and outcrops, small pebble beaches and cliffs with all manner of birds resting in small holes and cracks that littered its face. There was no rush in his opinion to get to his destination, he knew where she was. After their little encounter in the Party's bar he had kept tabs on her location using his haki. It was not stalking, no matter what his crew joked about, but something about her eyes dragged him back every time he thought of the girl. Just… the raw pain, the despair… and perhaps the longing in her eyes.

Eventually after an unknown amount of time, though he mused it couldn't have been more than 20 minutes; he entered into a small grass plateau. The clearing overlooked an impressive view of the sea below, stacks and stumps visible as they were pounded by the relentless ocean wave. To one side was a wall of trees, leaves swaying in tandem with the slight breeze. To the direction he came from lied a rocky outcrop which stopped any nosy eyes following the path from looking in. A truly hidden little clearing, to be away from everyone if one desired. In the middle of the clearing was a small bench. It was obvious from looking at it that the craftsmanship was poor, if had to guess then it looked to be made by the hands of a child. In fact it was simply two large, uneven stones with a rotting plant across them to form a small seat. It looked to be almost falling apart, large cracks visible through the rotting wood, 'though' thought Shanks 'it probably didn't look much better in its heyday'. Sat perched on the mess of wood and stone was his prey staring out to sea, completely still with her back to him.

'Well' Shanks giggled to himself mischievously 'If she wants to make me go through the trouble to look for her I might as well pay her back in kind' With his mindset, Shanks crept to up to the girl who was completely unaware of his presence. Her entire focus on something off in the distant sky. When he was just behind the girl he stopped, a grin splitting his face apart, all teeth, and then in his loudest voice shouted ''HEYA KIDDO!''

Lucy startled from her thoughts, sprang forward ungracefully in a half jump, before hitting the floor and spinning to face him so fast that Shanks feared for her poor neck.

Silence reigned between them, the only thing being herd was Lucy's short gasps for breath but eventually even they subsided. They stared at each other for a long time, Shanks in amusement and Lucy with a frown adorning her face. Then Shanks sat down on the floor next to the poor excuse of a bench and stared out to sea, ignore her gaze which was fixed on his visage. It took a few minutes for her to get up from the mess of limbs she had ended up in, and to walk back to the little bench where she promptly sat down again and stared back to sea.

No sooner had she settled into her seat when Shanks had decided that she was calm enough to begin a conversation. ''Nice little place you got here kiddo'' His voice was calm, she was no threat to him and it was clear to him she would not start a conversation of her own violation.

Just like all the other times over the months he tried to start a conversation with the reclusive girl she shunned his comment. In fact over the months she had seemed to shun him altogether, wherever he went he only found her back walking away from him. It was mildly amusing that a child possessed the power to annoy him more than most of his enemy's, amusing but annoying. But no matter what he did, he was always drawn back to this enigma. There was just something wrong with her, his Haki proved that. What was wrong with her spirit?

''So what are you doing out here kiddo?'' Once again Shanks decided to start a conversation, but like all the other times he had attempted it was met with silence. It seemed Monkey D Lucy talked as much as the dead, that is not at all. Said girl was still staring out to sea, ignoring his very presences and watching the clouds on the horizon like they held the answers to questions unknown.

Let it be known that Red-haired Shanks was persistent, and he would get an answer at the very least… his pride was on the line dammit! So ignoring her silent refusal he simply carried on with the conversation like nothing had happened ''Not very talkative are you kiddo?'' In his voice there was a slight annoyance. He had come all this way to this remote clearing to check up on the girl for her safety and was shunned in return!

''…I'm not a kid'' Her response surprised him of his mental annoyance. It was small, almost a whisper but she responded. Her voice was neither smooth nor rough, somewhere in-between combined with the quietness of her response it reminded him of an autumn breeze, neither the joy of summer nor the crisp of winter.

At this response he turned to face her partially, showing that he heard it. But what a weird response… its peculiarity brought a small grin to his face, this child became more amusing the more time he spent with her. Seeing as she was content to let the conversation die off he intervened again to save the small inch he had gained in the last four months ''Oh, is that so''

''Yes'' came her short crisp reply, her face moulded in the same frown she always wore around him.

'' I guess the sky's also green~ and the sea tastes of sake~'' At this snide comment Monkey D Lucy finally turned her gaze away from the horizon and towards him. Her onyx eyes staring directly into his. Much to Shanks amusement he could identify annoyance in the souls of her eyes, which in his opinion was the perfect revenge for all the issues she had inflicted upon him.

Realizing she wasn't going to voice any of that annoyance Shanks decided to respond to her silent anger with a ''What?'' dripping in so much fake confusion even baby's would be able to understand it.

Lucy huffed at that, her eyes once again turning back to the horizon, but Shanks could tell by the fact her facial muscles twitched every so often that she was contemplating something. Most likely if she should leave, but possible if she could strangle him if the small twitch of her fingers was an indication.

Deciding that he this was probably the best chance he would get and that if she ran away now he would get no other Shanks decided to carry on even without her involvement '' So you don't want to be called a child'' at this her face twitched by Shanks paid it no mind ''Regardless of reality what's wrong with being a child? It's the best years of your life in my opinion, no rules, none of those adult problems and a whole lot of adventure. Listen ki-'' Another twitch ''Lucy take it from me, once you become an adult all that responsibility will chain you, weigh you down. Being a child is the freest you'll ever be, a world of mystery and adventure!'' At this a shadow crossed his upper face from underneath his straw hat, a massive smile crossed his face and he extended his arms forward into the heavens in an exaggerated manner.

At this exclamation Lucy turned fully back to Shanks, staring at the eyes showing beneath the shadow of his hat. There was a strange glint in her eyes one he couldn't quite place but it looked as if she was contemplating his words. Then her eyes sharpened and she responded in a cold voice ''you speak of freedom, yet I'm weighed down by this world. I already have those chains, I have always had them. I will never be free, free from what I was''

At this Shanks looked flabbergasted 'free…from what I was?' Needless to say the man was confused at the whole comment. What was the girl going on about? She most defiantly sounded that she needed help. ''I have never met a pessimist so young before'' Or someone so perplexing when he thought about it.

If Lucy noticed the man's confusion then she clearly didn't comment, she carried on her side of the conversation with the same tone ''what do you have left to believe in when everything is stripped from you… but to reject everything'' Now Shanks was very confused, what was she talking about. 'Everything stripped from you?' What type of comment is that, what was she going on about? He'd asked Makino and she confirmed she had lived a normal life. What?

''I didn't think the villages comments would affect you too this regard'' Shanks had noticed the little things they said behind her back. That she was different, too mature, and even that she made some of them disturbed by her gaze. But none of them should have affected her to this regard, there must be something deeper than the occasional comment he mused.

''The villagers are the least of my issues'' Her response was stated as if it were fact, with such certainty there was no doubt in Shanks mind it was true. 'So there was something deeper than the comments' He thought to himself looking out towards the sea copying his companion. If he could get to that issue then he could perhaps solve this little mystery of a girl.

With that idea he decided to go on the offence, all mystery's required some detective work after all ''Oh and what are your issues?'' To sell the comment he put on his best smile, one capable of charming entire country's to lay down their arms. Naturally, Monkey D Lucy tore it in half by scowling back at his face. However, instead of the sharp response he would expect from her, she paused wearily before the scowl vanished off her face and looking up to the heavens she responded quietly ''…you wouldn't understand''

Silence followed her comment. The only sound between them was the quiet drone of the sea air, blowing off the sea. For a moment Shanks paused, staring at the young girl before him. That one comment stopped him in his tracts. The raw…emotion: the pain, the misery, the desperation. Those three words conveyed so…much. It was like Shanks was really looking at the little girl, no, whoever was before him in a new light. In that one moment, he realized that he wanted to help this girl, not to satisfy his curiosity but to save her. From what he did not know but he would save her. How could he not reach out to the hand grasping for a hold, to dive in and recuse her from the ocean of misery she was drowning in.

''Do you know the greatest skills a captain can have?'' He started slowly, trying to find his footing when everything about this situation was falling apart like sand in his fingers. At his question, Lucy stopped staring upwards and once again looked directly into his eyes. This time there was no smile on his face, just a frown. At her silence he continued ''the ability to know when something is wrong… and the ability to listen to others.''

At this she snorted, seemingly amused at him ''you don't seem like the type to listen'' Shanks felt offended by that statement. He might be an alcoholic and a party deviant but he had a good pair of ears and he knew how to use them.

However, he knew he had to keep her spirits up so in true Shanks fashion he acted over the top placing his right hand over his heart the other on his forehead and then swooned ''Kid you're really hurting my feelings~'' At his over the top performance she snorted again and Shanks could the ghost of a smile grace her face. The air between them somehow seemed lighter, the mood a little brighter.

''A crew must work together to survive, not just against other crews or the marines but against even nature itself'' He started the mood from before gone, the light in her eyes dimming slightly once more. But he had to commit to this conversation no matter what he wanted ''Hostility's between crew members are capable of dividing the crew into factions. Left to fester these factions can tear the crew apart. In times of chaos, this can mean the difference between success and failure… of life and death''

Lucy seemed to take all of his words into account, her eyebrows pinching in contemplation over his words. It seemed as if she was going to leave the conversation to him for now, so he continued ''It's up to the captain to settle all disputes early before they take hold. That requires intuition and an excellent sense for the emotions of the crew. It also requires the ability to listen keenly to all issues and act fairly to all crewmembers. As such I'm a very good listener'' Shanks had seen what happened to those who weren't. After his late captain's death, the sea was flooded by pirates. These so-called pirates were really just ambitious thugs, perhaps one or two with devil fruits putting their Jolly Roger high and setting sail. The fools thought they could take on the world… they only ended up stranded on remote islands by mutinying crews. Some were stabbed in the back by their crewmates, literally in some cases or by betraying them to the marines. To have a crew un-loyal to the captain was a death sentence to any pirate crew. A captain must be capable of currying loyalty or they cannot be captain. It sadden Shanks that too many failed to understand that key fact.

Lucy seemed unaware of his own internal thoughts, it seemed as though she was also bogged down in her own mind. Her face had returned to the blank that he had interpreted as her default facial expression. With some reluctance in his voice he made the offer he believed could help this girl ''I don't know what's got you down, or what you're going through. But, I'm more than happy to lend an ear and offer some advice''

The silence that followed his offer was deafening. It suffocated almost everything around them, the animals, the sea, the wind all of nature stood silent for her response. The silence dragged on for minutes one; two till almost ten had passed. All that time she spent looking at the horizon, her body rigid and tense like a dear in the headlights. At this point Shanks had assumed he had stepped across the boundary that she wanted nothing more to do with him as such, he got up. Just as he was leaving the clearing he heard a faint voice on the wind.

''For a long time…'' Shanks stopped, cloak swaying in the wind. He then turned towards the sound, Lucy's back was as rigid as stone but her shoulders were shaking slightly ''…In this life, I didn't know if I should exist… If I wanted to exist…'' Realizing what was going on he walked back to sit next to her shaking form. ''Truth be told I didn't want to be here, yet here I am…'' Deciding against commenting Shanks decided to simply listen ''the choice of my existence was taken out of my hands…and I… am being forced to play a role I don't even desire. I have no choice… but to move forward…to make a path…one I have no desire to follow…yet are forced to do all the same.'' At this point the little girl was outright trembling, shaking on the small rundown bench. Shanks in silence simply put an arm over her shoulder, holding her trembling form close to his chest. She continued to speak muffled into his chest ''everywhere I turn I see the choices I have to make. But I don't know if I can make them…the choices of that person dominates me…the path he made…I have to follow his path… but I'm not that person! And I never will be!'' At her outburst, he stiffened, who was this person? Why did she haft to follow his 'path'? What was she going on about? After her little outburst, her voice became so quiet that even he with his advanced senses struggled to hear her ''But if I reject that choice, that path, what will become of me? I…I'm so lost…I don't know…I don't know where to go or what to do. Fate is pushing me towards a path I don't want…but everywhere else I look…I see the consequences of that action. Of not following that path. What if it leads to more deaths? What about the people I would save? ...What would become of them? What do I do otherwise? What can I do? What if I make things worse? …What about the stupid story!? Where will it go?! Will fate even allow me to choose?!''

What story? Shanks was undoubtedly confused, what was going on? Nothing the kid was saying made any sense. People she would save? Death? Path? She had to make a choice? And it would affect the world? Fate was somehow involved? But she didn't want to follow that path? And that was causing the issue? At this point Lucy had started crying into his top, her little hands clutching his shirt so hard that her hands had turned white. No longer was she trying to stop her shaking, she had practically started to vibrate as sobs rocked her body. He ran a comforting hand through her hair, trying to calm the sobbing girl clutching his shirt. ''…What will I become…If I choose that path…what will I have to give up…I'm…scared…I don't know what to do…''

At her final confession, she simply decided to cry into his shirt. The silence that followed was welcomed by Shanks; he embraced the time to simply understand what had been said. Her confession, he understood so little of it, fate? A path? The decisions of a mystery man? What he did understand was the emotional release. Looking down at the silent girl he understood that this had been bothering her for a long time, perhaps her whole life if what she said was true. So he stayed still with her gripping her shirt as she sat on his lap, the only movement he made was to rub her back. Hours must have passed before the shaking stopped and even then the occasional twitch of her body occurred once in a while.

It stayed that way till she collected herself, despite the shaking and looked him dead in the eyes. She was a mess, tear tracks cut long paths down her face, her nose ran slightly, her hair which was a mess before stood at odd angles and her eyes where puffed red. Shanks decided to smile down at her, not the large boisterous grin he showed the world, smaller but more defined and reassuring. Lucy's eyes softened at it, the shade in her eyes almost gone, it seemed that her emotional outburst had drained the shadows that hung around her. The weight on her shoulders a little less, now she had told someone her bourdon.

''You ok, kiddo'' Unlike before Lucy did not become defensive at the name nor did she bristle at the comment. She merely nodded her head at him and continue to stare at his face. So much that Shanks had to ask ''Have I got anything on my face? I can't be as bad as you can I?'' At this, a small chuckle erupted from her lips, before he quickly joined in his laughter much louder and wholehearted. They must have made a sight; two idiots laughing like fools while they looked like a mess. Nothing like infectious laughter to lift a mood.

''No, just your usual ugly mug'' At that a small smirk crossed her face. For one who frowned almost all the time, that small smile in Shanks opinion made the world slightly brighter. Compared to the large grins of his crew it might not compare in size but it outshined all others in heart.

A pout found its way onto his lips ''I'll have you know that my mug is very beautiful'' And many women had said so too. So it had to be true!

''Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, guess you must be blind if you believe thaaaaats beautiful'' Her quick comeback left her lips and promptly shattered his heart. He was so surprised by the retort from the silent girl that he only just realized the small smile was turning into a predatory smirk, that her eyes where slightly sharper. Did he the great Red Hair Shanks get outdone by a little seven and a half-year-old girl who until today ignored his very existence? WHAT?

With no option to retort without making himself look like a fool he decided to carry on the conversation he started ''You ok, now?'' At the question Lucy lost the smirk, instead giving a second confirmatory nod to show the first wasn't a fluke and then got up from his lap, deciding to regain her little seat on the bench.

Once again a silence descended onto the pair, but unlike the others, this one was calm, warmer… a good silence. As both looked out to the sea, to the clouds drifting slowly like little sailing boats through the sky, Shanks had time to think. To think about what had been said, fate, path, a mysterious man who laid the road of destiny, the choice to be alive, the roles one must play, the ability to dream. What the little girl sat next to him had said, it only partially made sense, but in a way, Shanks believed he had enough to fulfil his promise. To listen and to offer advice. By doing one she had also requested the other, and while he was no sage, Shanks would try. Lucy had gone through a lot to tell him everything she had, so he had to keep his bargain.

''Lucy'' At the sound of his voice she turned from her cloud gazing of the afternoon sky, and looked at him, her eyes holding only curiosity and not the darkness they had before to his relief. ''That path…no one is forcing you to take it. If you want to do something else, then don't let anything, destiny, gods, this mysterious man, anyone tell you otherwise'' At his words a small weight seemed to droop on her shoulders once again. It sadden Shanks but he understood that to deal with the problem one must face their problems dead on. It is better to see her get through it than leave her to deal with the issue once again later down the line when he could be of no help.

Her response was measured, not the outburst of before, but holding some of the emotional weight of that Burdon ''…Fate will force me to do what it wants… In the end, we are all just puppets. We will all dance to the tune of the text, to the lullaby of the narrative. No matter what I care about I am the key performer, the lead actress, fate will make me dance regardless of whether I desire to or not. No matter what I do the story must go on…I…I don't want to simply be another character to a story I want no part in.''

At this Shanks looked at her once again, her eyebrows scrunched in concentration as she thought about whatever was on her mind. A story, tied to fate, that seemed to be the running theme here ''A story huh…Lucy look at me'' Shanks called out softly. At his request, she turned to face him fully. He decided to let out a grin at the child ''in the end we are all the characters of a story, whether of our own or as part of another's. But stories at their heart are about the characters: about their life, dreams, beliefs and most importantly their connection to the world and people around them. Just because we live in a story doesn't mean we can't live a good life. If my life was a story then I'd gladly call myself the main act!''

It seemed his boisterous boast had amused her, as the tips of her mouth tipped upwards. Then something crossed her mind and the frown he'd started to hate settled on her lips ''the role that I am meant to play, it was not written for me… but another'' It was written for this mysterious man? Thought Shanks. Lucy carried on like she hadn't seen his confusion ''I am a person who cannot fit the script, who will never play my part as it was meant to be played. I don't know how that will affect the story'' Shanks had also started to hate this so-called story as well.

''Then play your part as you want to play it'' the quick response surprised her, it seemed as though in her head this was a foreign conclusion. Considering what she had said earlier during her breakdown, he had no clue what went through her head.

'But what if tha-'' She quickly replied, snapping at him only to be silenced by his own response ''what if this, what If that, what if I was stronger, what if I was smarter, what if I looked better, what if I was born into wealth, what if my life went differently, what if I could go back and fix the failures in my life, what if, what if, what if'' His retort had silenced her. In fact, Lucy had decided to simply let him talk over herself, content to listen and stare at his blank visage.

Considering her silence he used the space to further his point ''Life is full of what-ifs. Humans like to fantasize about what will and could've been. But, at the end of the day, they are simply ifs. They do not dictate your life. Lucy, if you get scared at the possibility of the future then you will never be able to move forward. You will forever hold yourself back due to things that may or may not happen, like hiding from the ghosts of your choices alternatives. It is not wrong to reflect back on your choice. Or to look forward and try to find a path to carve out. However to be so controlled by them that it dominates you… that is wrong. At that point you need to look at yourself and say, not what if, but what will I be or do.''

His speech had rendered her silent for a while, as she stared through him to someplace he would never be able to see. Throughout his speech, however, he noticed a look in her eyes. One that made him smile. In her onyx lied a simple emotion, consideration. It was nice to know that his advice was being considered. Few wanted to be ignored. But it also represented a different thing, that all was not lost, that the girl who believed she had to dance could instead fly.

''What if-'' His glare caused the young girl to cut herself off and transition to say ''when all is said and done, …and I look back at what I did. Because I acted. And I disagree with what I became or did, then what do I do?''

''Move on'' At his short reply, Lucy fully looked at him. Her face showcased her struggle to understand how to do such a thing. Shanks felt sorry for the young girl beside him, grasping for straws, trying to understand the world so he continued ''Lucy, if you don't like what direction your taking, or where you ended up then simply move on. Humans are constantly walking a path, some well-known others completely new. Eventually, as you continue to walk you'll be able to get somewhere, wherever that is I don't know, but you will get somewhere. When that happens, look around you…and stop and think do I like this place? If your answer is no, then move on, there's nothing stopping you except your desire to walk. It might take a lifetime… but I can guarantee you will find a place where you can look around and go 'yes, this is the place' in your heart. When that happens your life will be infinitely better than what I can see here…trust me… to stay in a place that hurts you is a bad life choice''

Silence once again reined the tiny clearing; if an outsider were to walk in they would be very confused about the whole situation. Even to Shanks, this had to be one of the weirdest afternoons of his life. In Lucy's eye there was conflict, between his words and the beliefs she held on to for so long. It seemed that his words were having an impact on the young girl, so he continued but with something he had not spoken about for a long, long time ''Did you know I wasn't originally going to be a pirate?'' At his confession, the little girl once again left her thoughts.

''…I was born the second son of a watchmaker, on a small island in the grand line.'' At this her eyes widened, did she really think he popped out of the deck of a ship and instantly start waving the black flag? That thought defiantly amused him, but he had a kid to help so carried on ''it wasn't a bad life, I had a loving family, I had a guaranteed job. The years passed by, I spent more time in the workshop, I even got good at it if you can believe me'' A smile crossed his face, then it was overcome once again by a frown ''But, I wasn't content…I wanted more. I wanted to see the world, and every time I looked out to sea that thought flared up. But I stayed, because I had a path, I had a future set out for me…a father to make proud. In my heart, however, it was agony, I had a different dream, one that haunted me. Eventually, the dam broke, I ran away… got on the next ship that docked, the Oro Jackson, and never looked back''

''What about your family?'' In Lucy's eyes showed concern, an emotional that endeared her to Shanks even more. 'The kid is having a meltdown and she's worried about me' he thought amusedly. Before continuing his weird pep talk ''I…have come to realize that in order to gain something you must first give something up. Resources, money, time…even people. To advance you must leave something behind…I have also come to realize that the thing you must give up, may be something you care about dearly. That moment is the worst. When in order to move forward you have to sacrifice the very things that you love. You start to doubt yourself, should you have given it up? Many fail to advance in life because of that…they are so concerned about whether it will be worth it, that they refuse to make the sacrifice. So concerned of the loss.''

It took Lucy a while to compute all the information given to her. When she had finished though, she turned to Shanks and asked ''Then why make the sacrifice if it hurts you, surely you should keep the things you love?'' On her face was confusion. Like that was the natural order of things.

''Because Lucy…to stay in a place or path you dislike is an even worse pain. Look at you now, all that built up emotion and all that despair. You are so concerned with what you'll have to give up that you refuse to advance. You are so concerned about a fate that may or may not be true that you are frozen still. You refuse to make a sacrifice to advance… and do you know what I see?'' Her puffy eyes were frozen at his. She seemed to hang on every word, and at his question, she shook her head ''that decision is eating you up. All those what-ifs and fate nonsense. You are so consumed by what has yet to even happen that you shun even walking a step forward. The road will be hard, from what you told me I can tell that much, you'll have to give up much to gain even a couple of inches. …But I can promise you wholeheartedly there is a light at the end of the tunnel, that if you keep moving you will find a place in this world to call your own''

After this point, Lucy once again turned to look back at the horizon which was slowly turning pink. It seemed they had spent most of the afternoon on this little clearing together. She was silent for a long time, close to half an hour before she spoke again. '' I guess so …I'll hold you to that yo-you red-haired pan-pancake'' Shanks turned his gaze away from the horizon as well to stare at the small smile on her face.

''Pancake?~'' He'd been called many things before, but pancake was new.

''it's the same shape as your brain'' At this her smile grew more and more. The air around them turning more upbeat in tone. 'Well' thought Shanks 'If calling me a pancake makes her happy, then I'll be a pancake' but damn if he'll let that rest. ''Oh Lu you wound me~''.

At that she snorted loudly, before commenting ''Now if you would just die I could get some peace'' His shocked expression must have shown because the little girl burst into a fit a giggles that grew and grew in strength. Shanks with nothing else to lose joined in. Both of them spent a while just laughing at the hilarity of themselves before the chuckles died down like embers to a fire, till even those disappeared. But the smiles never left their faces.

''…Thank you, Shanks''

''Anytime Lu, anytime''

As I said before all projects are learning curves. I had planned to do an awful lot else in this chapter…but here we are. I intended for their conversation to be small but sweat. But then I just decided to write as I went along, just the things they would do or say. And that created this chapter. It went on and on, and I was up at half twelve last night saying to myself, when will this finish I want to go to bed. But I like how it ended up so no skin of my back. When you think about it the greatest issue with being inserted by a story is that, it's a story. It's dominated by a narrative, which is pushed by a plot, which acts in certain ways to tell the story. Therefore fate could be comparable to the plot and therefore some things must happen for the story to happen. For a SI who believes in self-determination, that's an absolute nightmare. Are you doing things of your own violation? Or are you a puppet to a plot you cannot see? That's why she keeps going on about Luffy (the mystery man pulling fate), can she escape the narrative that he was created to fulfill, that he makes in the story. A role she could never truly fulfill. Can she make her own narrative, or will she be forced to dance to a tune she does not desire. On other notes I have hopefully not ruined Shanks's character with his backstory. I hope I got the duality of his personality, the fun-loving joking party lover and the serious but compassionate mentor. Well till next time (probably tomorrow).